Finishing Touch
by mixedxsmile
Summary: After Kaiba's birthday, an organization named LEAF captures him to activate a dangerous satellite in space. Can Mokuba, Yuugi, and everyone else manage to save him and Domino City in time?
1. Birthday Blues

**Finishing Touch  
**By MixedxUp

**Chapter 1**: Birthday Blues 

He wonders whether his brother has forgotten. But maybe he hasn't, and he's going to jump out and yell at his younger brother for forgetting. Mokuba hasn't forgotten. Mokuba hasn't forgotten that it is his brother's birthday. Seto Kaiba is sitting there, oblivious to his sibling's distorted and worried thinking. He goes about his business that morning as usual. Like clockwork, Kaiba has the same schedule everyday. It is a special today, it is. Perhaps he has forgotten, and he just needs a simple reminder. The younger Kaiba desperately searches his mind bank for what could be a subtle enough reminder. Nothing comes up.

Kaiba eats his cereal, the way he does every morning. If any of the press had found out what brand of cereal he ate, they would release it to the public and the cereal would get massive fan service at his expense. Shoving the dark brown locks out of his eyes, he spoons up milk and Cheerios and eats slowly. Unlike his younger brother, he eats in a civilized manner. Mokuba tilts the cereal bowl slightly and drinks up the milk. Then, he downs an entire glass of juice in one gulp. Kaiba's eyes don't even twitch. His brother is acting strange today.

Mokuba props his head up with his hands. It's a Saturday morning, and thus, he will have to stay at home while Kaiba goes to work to 'check on things' even though he technically doesn't have to go to work today because nobody else does. The dark-haired boy asks his brother why he has to go when others don't, and he simply replies that it is the duty of the CEO. He groans a little at the overused excuse.

But today there is little conversation. Seto Kaiba is not a morning person; he was born at 3:17 PM. The younger Kaiba knows this and has set it into his watch so he knows when to wish his brother a happy birthday. But the atmosphere doesn't feel right. At least last year, when he threw him a surprise party, Kaiba got angry and locked himself in his room for the rest of the evening. A decent show of usual theatrics, but at least he acknowledged his birthday. Mokuba sighs, letting his head fall onto the kitchen table.

"Lock the doors while I'm out. Make sure Roland is with you at all times, and if anything should happen, don't hesitate to call me." Seto Kaiba runs through the daily list of things he has to tell his younger brother while he's home 'alone'. Mokuba half-listens because he's heard the same thing every morning before his brother goes to work. Kaiba never forgets. His entire body and mind is like a clock.

And like clockwork, there are no mistakes. Nodding his head, he playfully throws his arms around his brother's waist. It is a simple moment like this that Kaiba remembers that he is young. A teenager. And every birthday means one more year closer to being more like an adult. But he hasn't had a childhood, and he wants Mokuba to have as much of one that he didn't have.

The younger Kaiba likes the warm feel of his brother's body, and the way Seto always threads his fingers through his hair before leaving. The moment is cut short because Kaiba is like clockwork. Everything has a set time limit, and everything must be done. Seto prepares his schedule the night before, making sure he completes every task before the day ends. There isn't time for frivolous or extraneous matters. Except today, perhaps, the CEO will forget his schedule. Mokuba hopes.

The older Kaiba walks out the door and proceeds into the black limo parked outside of the mansion. Arriving at the Kaiba Corps. Building, he checks in as usual at the main desk. His secretary offhandedly says that there was a note left by somebody who came earlier. Kaiba dismisses it as either a prank or a telemarketing scam as usual and proceeds upstairs. It's a busy life and he doesn't have time for extraneous letters or notes.

After checking out with the secretary, she pleads with him, saying that the note was of extreme importance to the woman who gave it. Kaiba dismisses it as a fan's letter. He doesn't bother reading those; he gives them to Mokuba and lets his younger brother write back to all the annoying people who feel the need to thank him for his great inventions. He is briefly stoic and cold that morning, and thus, the first hitch in Seto Kaiba's schedule is in motion.

The CEO decides to walk home instead of taking the limo, which is a very strange occurrence. He has only done it once before, several years ago. The limo drivers asks whether he is sure, and Kaiba yells at him for being incompetent. The driver speeds off, perhaps more in fear rather than because his boss asked him to. There are collections of autumn leaves on the ground, and he picks one up. The second hitch in his schedule.

He walks past the schoolyard of his former high school. He dropped out and was privately tutored, even though he likes to claim that he is smarter than any of his teachers. The high school was his sanctuary, even if it was full of annoying and incompetent people. He didn't have to talk, and he didn't have to befriend people. All he had to do was raise his hand and answer questions every time nobody else could. It was easy, and at least then, he had more time to spend with his sibling.

The boys are out playing now, as they do on a regular basis every Friday afternoon. He pauses in front of the metal fence, his dark black coat billowing slightly in the wind. He takes off his gloves, one finger at a time, and places them in his pockets. Fourth hitch. He leans on the metal fence, and watches the boys play an improvised game of basketball. There are some girls lining the fences on the other end, watching the boys and cheering them on. He notices that one of them is the friendship girl.

Kaiba watches the puppy make a slam-dunk, and then gloat about it for the next five minutes. Yuugi is there, the shortest of them all, trying desperately to get the ball from Jounouchi. The blonde finally gives the ball to Yuugi, who holds the ball to his chest firmly, and then turns around and looks Kaiba square in the eye. His body stiffens. He's been found out. Now his troupe will be making fun of him for weeks. Not that he cares. The short boy now smiles, one of those sincere ones. He rushes over to the fence. Kaiba feels himself stepping away from the fence. He wants to break into a run.

"Hi, Kaiba! You know, I was hoping I could see you sometime soon. I wanted to wish you a happy birthday," Yuugi says, genuinely. He clasps the orange ball in his hands and looks up at the CEO. Kaiba feels uncomfortable that the shorter boy has decided to confront him. The puppy now follows close behind, his white shirt being pulled up at one end to wipe the sweat on his forehead. Now Kaiba really does feel like getting away.

"Hey, Jounouchi? Did you know? It's Kaiba's birthday!" Yuugi turned towards his friend, the ball still being hugged to his chest. Jounouchi looks at Kaiba the way he would eye a rock. Then, his eyes soften considerably and he too, wishes him a happy birthday. Kaiba looks stoically at the both of them, as if they are both pathetic excuses for human beings. Yuugi's smile does not falter.

"I don't celebrate my birthday," he says, breaking the silence. Yuugi looks slightly disappointed, and the puppy has wandered off towards Anzu, probably telling her that it is Seto's birthday. Except he doesn't want anyone to know. He doesn't even know how Yuugi knows. But it's probably been published in Duel Monsters magazines dozens of times. And since Yuugi is fond of Duel Monsters, it is completely probable that he's read one of those magazines.

Anzu gives a small wave to Kaiba and yells out one of her one 'Happy Birthday!' greetings. Honda is seen going at it one on one with the puppy now, who's restless and can't stay on one task for very long. Yuugi just stands there, the metal link fence that separates them a demonstration of the emotional barriers that Kaiba has walled himself up in.

"Kaiba, maybe we can duel sometime. I think that's the only birthday present I can give," Yuugi smiles sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head. Kaiba stores the offer away in his mind. He probably doesn't mind receiving that kind of gift. "So how are you?" And Kaiba's look falters, almost as if nobody's asked him that question before. Shaking his head, he answers.

"Why do you care?" Yuugi looks crushed. His small hands drop the ball. It is unusual for him to see Kaiba, because often he passes by in his limo. He doesn't even stop. His dropout was an extreme disgrace to the high school. It was because the teachers felt that Kaiba thought he was better than them, and finished their sentences or filled in the blanks in class when the teachers would falter. He really had been too smart for them. Jounouchi pauses his game with Honda, and looks at Yuugi, who is still talking to Kaiba.

"Because I do," Yuugi says, and even Kaiba can't miss the glaze apparent in his eyes. The school bell rings. "I have to go. Have a good birthday, Kaiba." Then, he watches Yuugi walk slowly back to the school. He is afraid that he is allowed himself to feel more than the quota he has set aside for himself. The fifth hitch. A breeze starts quite awkwardly around him, and thus he decides to walk back home, given the time he has. He's almost halfway there when he feels someone come behind him.

"I suppose you didn't receive my note?" The voice is calm and polite. He allows himself to look back to just see who it is. Ishizu Ishtar, the woman at the museum, is standing there, her hands buried in the pockets of her chocolate coat. There's a slight twitch at the end of his mouth, as if he wasn't expecting her, of all people, to meet him on this day. Not that this day has any more significance than other days. Kaiba has resigned himself to believing that this is an ordinary day, and because ordinary days are dreary, so is this one.

"No. It probably wasn't important. I don't want to listen to you preach. I'm going home." He says a little more than he usually does. A big, white wisp of a cloud has begun to overshadow the sun. Kaiba decides that he quite likes it. His skin is pale and stark white, and he prefers it that way. A few cars pass by, and Kaiba is still glued to his usual spot on the sidewalk. It is unusual that he even waits for her response. She brings a gloved hand to her mouth to cover a soft laugh, and then clasps her hands at her front.

"I was wondering whether you could perhaps join me this evening for dinner." She doesn't even ask him. Her mass of dark brown hair is loose and farther down than her shoulders. He notices that she is completely devoid of any jewelry, except a bangle on her right wrist and two silver hoops for earrings. This isn't any weather to be standing on the sidewalk to be talking. He realizes that the cold wind bites at her cheeks, leaving them pink and flushed. He has no answer for her, and yet he does. Today will be a lonesome day.

"I don't have time to waste." He says. Her smile falters slightly; the corners of her lips being pulled down and then up again as she forces a diplomatic approach. Kaiba was taught the diplomatic approach to things, and he readily discarded it. Looking good to others was of no concern to him. He supposed it mattered not to her, but since she desired a favorable response from him, she should employ it just as well. She laughs again, placing her hands in her coat pockets.

"All right. I understand," She answers, looking to the side as if she doesn't want to meet his eyes. He just waits there. What a complete waste of time. She pulls her hand out again, and pulls the glove off, finger by finger, and discards it in her right pocket. Kaiba notices that she has been playing with her hands the entire time. Perhaps she too, like him, is afraid of being idle. That time will pass by unused and wasted.

"I hope you enjoy a happy birthday." She places her hand on his cheek, and he feels his body freezing up. He wants to push her away, but the ache inside of him is too apparent, too raw and open, like a wound that has not healed. Pulling his face down by his collar, she places a tender kiss on his mouth. It's almost like a whisper of a kiss; light, feathery, quiet and brief. His lips feel cold and clammy and he doesn't want her to know that and doesn't react, even if she is a crazy woman. He might as well be half-insane by now as it is.

"Goodbye." And then she walks past, crossing the street and disappearing into a cloud of fog. Seto places his fingers on his mouth and feels disgusted. How could he have let her get away with violating his personal space? He ceases to think about her for the rest of the way, his eyes concentrated on the cracks on the sidewalk. He always passes by the Kame Game shop on his way home, and thus, he always passes by Otogi's shop as well. He doesn't admire him, but he, might as well be the least annoying of all of Yuugi's friends.

Strangely enough Otogi comes out at that very moment, with a smug look on his face and his hands on his hips. The man is too flamboyant for Kaiba's taste. Him and his flock of fangirls are enough to make him sick. He wants to walk pass without thinking or talking to him, but of course fate hates Kaiba and thus he hears Otogi shout to him from across the street.

"Hey Kaiba! Come over here." Seto, of course, freezes. It's not enough that he asked him to go over there. He's already late getting home, anyway. And that encounter with Ischizu was enough to make his headspin. If he just walked past, Otogi would continue to shout and embarrass him. If he went to him, he'd waste more time. He chose the lesser of the two evils and decided to walk across the street, rather annoyed and ashamed that he gave in. The sixth hitch.

"I want to give you your present. Hold on." Was there a secret memo that was passed around to everyone that announced his birthday in grand letters? Kaiba feels helpless and rather annoyed by the time Otogi finally comes out with a rectangular box. It's wrapped neatly in plain shimmering red wrapping paper, with a white bow on top. Otogi feels rather proud of his present.

"I don't want it." Kaiba says, shoving the box back to Otogi. His face falls, and then he gives a look that means business. Kaiba can see the inside of the shop; he's closing early for today because it is a Saturday, but it is still too early – Kaiba is puzzled. Leaning towards him, Otogi places a hand into his hair and smoothes it out. That is another thing he dislikes about Otogi; he's too vain and concerned of his public image. Kaiba could care less if the public could see him cursing and angrily yelling at his employees. As long as business was perfect, Kaiba didn't care.

"Well, that's too bad. I spent too much time looking for it. I don't care if you don't want it, you still have to take it." Otogi forces the box back into Kaiba's hands. Throwing a 'whatever' behind his shoulder, Seto decides that it is time he headed home without any more delays. He'd wasted enough time with Yuugi's troupe and the others. Mokuba would be worried sick. The cellphone decided to ring conveniently just then.

"Hey, Seto! Look at your watch." He listens to his brother's tiny voice on the other end, as if he's far away. He's less than two or three blocks from home; couldn't this wait? Kaiba shoves his coat's sleeve up and looks at his watch. It is 3:17 PM. "It's the time you were born. Remember? Happy birthday, Seto. Come home soon!" And there's a faint click on the other end. Seto wipes away at something at his eyes, as it seems that it has begun to rain.


	2. Afterwards

**Chapter 2**: Afterwards 

It's a clear morning the day after. He breathes in a sigh of relief. No more 'happy birthday' greetings, no more anything. He glad he had taken most of the day off. Sunday was a day that most of the company decided to take off, but Kaiba still went to check on how things were going. Even his secretary would not be in. Mokuba, as the vice president, would drop in very early in the morning, and then come back as if he hadn't ever left at all. He can hear crickets chirping outside his window. The quiet is broken rather rudely by his younger brother.

"Seto, Seto! Look, you've got birthday presents. Somebody left them at the door!" Seto inwardly groans. He doesn't want any more presents or cards or wishes for a happy birthday. He wants to wish that his birthday never happened, that the day would cease to exist and he would cease to age, because honestly, he has been more of an adult his short life than most people have at old ages. He gets up out of bed, and realizes it is 6 in the morning. He wipes away the sleep from his eyes, although he is usually alert and a morning person.

Downstairs, only the maid is tending to the living room, dusting off the shelves of the his extensive book collection. The corner of his mouth twitches as he realizes that it is most likely Yuugi and his friends that have nailed these presents to his door, much like Luther had nailed his complaints to the Roman Catholic Church. Unwanted and undesired. He sighs, crouching down to see the small pile. Mokuba has already dived into the pile of presents, and pokes his head out of the small wrapped boxes and lifts up a rectangular white box.

"This is from Yuugi!" Mokuba proceeds to hand it to his brother. There's a neatly tied cerulean ribbon, and with a smooth tug at one end of the ribbon, the rest slips away. Kaiba lifts the top of the box, and holds up the card-box. It seems as if he has dozens of these, but it is a tin, metal box with a Blue-Eyes White Dragon performing its White Lightning Attack.

It's an engraved image, and his initials are on the bottom. On the back of the tin is a small post-it note, stuck on almost at last minute, it seems. 'Next week, at the Kame Game Shop. Be there!' It reads. Kaiba remembers that Yuugi has promised him a duel. He tucks the mental note in a shelf in the back of his mind and places the tin back in the box.

"You didn't even open the present Otogi gave you yesterday. Why not now?" He's dived into the pile of presents again and retrieves the large, rectangular box. Otogi doesn't have taste. He must've gotten him a shirt or something. The ribbons are neatly discarded at his legs on the right, and he realizes he's sitting on the living room floor, opening presents. With a defeated sigh he lifts the top of the box open.

"Wow!" Mokuba gasps at the new edition of the Dungeon Dice Monsters game. It's not even released yet! But there it is, in Kaiba's lap. He notices there's a game booklet, a jar of dice, a thick strategy guide, two posters that have every Duel Monster on them, and it seems there's a card as well. Mokuba revels in the new game. He's been wanting the new version since forever! Kaiba hands his brother the box, and he goes to throw out the card when Mokuba yells at him for being inconsiderate. Kaiba realizes he can never win. He opens the card.

'I got you the newest version of Dungeon Dice Monsters. I had to rush the box packaging and some of the other stuff as well so I could get it to you on time. Oh, and you're the first person to own the newest edition, so you're lucky! Happy birthday! Sincerely, Otogi.' Kaiba hands over the card to Mokuba, who is antsy and wants to know how the heck Otogi got them the newest version especially since it doesn't come out until next year.

Kaiba pauses and realizes a small, creamy envelope that hasn't been opened. He notices the friendship girl's present, apparently hers because it is pink with baby blue ribbons. Mokuba tears the wrapping paper in an unorthodox manner, unlike Kaiba, who has neatly folded all the wrapping paper to one side. Crouching over his younger brother, he studies what the girl has given him.

It's a silver belt buckle, slightly smaller than the one that he wears now with the 'KC' logo on it. It's got the Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon on it, brandishing its signature attack. He bets two million dollars that she and Yuugi had gone shopping together. Mokuba lets out a sound of awe as he places it on his waist, identifying its significant largeness.

The bell rings suddenly and he gets up to press the intercom on. Mokuba, intrigued at the moment, decides to skip over to the door. Kaiba, taking a second look at the security cameras, realizes it is Jounouchi. No matter how much he wants to leave Jounouchi standing there, Mokuba is right behind him, so the effort would be futile.

"Yes?" It's Kaiba's voice on the intercom. Jounouchi leaps back a few feet, and then when realizing that the voice came from the intercom, sheepishly rubs the back of his blonde head and finally leans in towards the intercom to speak.

"Hey, Kaiba, it's me, Jounouchi." It seems that he has been hiding it behind his back all along. Kaiba bets three million dollars that Yuugi forced Jounouchi to give Kaiba a present. Yuugi's claims that Kaiba was just as good of a friend as any of his other friends would be destroyed if they didn't even bother to remember his birthday. Mokuba shoves his brother's hand off the intercom button and presses it and speaks into the transmitter.

"Hi, Jounouchi! Come in!" Mokuba buzzes him in. Kaiba stands there as if he's been betrayed, but shakes the look off his face and proceeds to open the door. He hears the bell ring five billion times when he finally opens the door. Jounouchi presses the bell one more time just to get him angry. Stoic glare from Kaiba to Jounouchi. The blonde rubs the back of his head with one hand, keeping the present hidden.

"Hey. Um..here. It's your birthday present." Jounouchi shyly presses a square box into his hands. Kaiba looks at him oddly; as if he's surprised that the puppy went out and took the time to buy him a present. Not that he needs one from him. Mokuba smiles a little, coming out from behind Seto's legs.

"You want anything to eat? We were going to eat breakfast. It's kinda early, but since you're here, I guess it's okay." Mokuba pulls Jounouchi by the hand into the mansion. Kaiba doesn't want Jounouchi in his house, but since Mokuba wants him there, he can't disagree. Inducing a yawn, he takes the present into the kitchen and places it on the kitchen counter. Jounouchi sits at the table with Mokuba, looking slightly agape.

"Aren't you going to open it?" Jounouchi raises a hand that's sleeved with white cloth to his cheek, propping his head up on the table. Mokuba is busily making something on the kitchen counter, using a spoon, a bowl of sugar, and a large box. Hopefully his brother won't try and imitate the chefs on T.V., like making soufflé.

"Here, Jounouchi! It's my personal recipe." Hidden behind his hands, Jounouchi watches amused as Mokuba bursts out with a bowl of cereal. Seto wants to laugh, but doesn't. He hasn't laughed in a long time. He's nineteen and needs to start taking things seriously from now on. He manages to open the box as Jounouchi laughs and says that it'll be the best breakfast he's had in a long time.

Jounouchi watches as Kaiba fingers his present. He shoves spoonfuls of cereal in his mouth, at an amazingly fast rate; he wants to finish fast and see what Kaiba thinks. Mokuba turns towards his brother, trying to get a peek at what it is. Hoisting himself onto the counter, he lets out a few sounds of awe. It's a couple of Jounouchi's favorite books, _Catcher in the Rye_, _A Separate Peace_, and _The Perfect Storm_ are the English ones, a Japanese novel, two comics, and a doujinshi by a popular circle.

The pages are fresh and crisp, newly bought. Kaiba's afraid to open any one of them because he might bend the pages or mar the books. They are quite classic books, and the novel in Japanese is very popular. He almost scoffs at the comics, because almost everyone knows that he doesn't read comics. Mokuba's flipped open the comic, and points out things at random intervals because he finds them interesting. Jounouchi looks as if he wants Kaiba's approval on what he got him. Well, he wouldn't get it, because Kaiba would reply that 'The presents are fine.'

Jounouchi gets up and places the bowl in the sink, but before he leaves, like most improper children would, he turns the faucet on and washes it. Mokuba looks at him strangely, because neither of the brothers has really washed their dishes since they hired the maid. She had been working here for a while now. Noticing the strange stares, he decides to rub his head sheepishly.

"It's just a habit," he says. Mokuba tells him that the maid always washes them, and that they pay her really well, and for that she actually enjoys her job. Jounouchi nods, saying that he's in a rush to get home because he has to go somewhere with Honda today. Kaiba walks him to the door, with Mokuba tagging along. The younger Kaiba waves goodbye to Jounouchi as he leaves. Closing the door, Kaiba feels that it is the end of his birthday remnants. It is time to get back to work and-

The creamy envelope is still in its place on the floor of the living room. Mokuba must have missed it because he was too busy tending to the boxes of presents. He wants to shred it, because he's had enough of these meaningless celebrations. His younger brother has tucked away his presents in his room, shouting loudly that Kaiba has such nice friends. But because Kaiba is human, unfortunately, he feels curiosity. Thus, he tears open the envelope and a sheaf of paper falls to the floor. Kaiba picks it up, straightening out the crease on one corner.

'My offer is still available until tonight. Meet me at the museum at seven. Sincerely, Ischizu Ishtar." He lets himself go up the stairs with the letter, which isn't normal. He would usually throw it out or have it shredded by his paper shredder by now. Mokuba passes him on the way in the hall and notices the drooping letter in his hands.

"Hey! Who's that from?" And almost too mechanically Kaiba answers that it is from no one. Mokuba doesn't buy it, and tries to pressure his brother into telling him. Saying that it's 'none' of his business, Seto clasps the letter too closely; Mokuba yells out 'fine!' and they both are slightly angry at each other, going their separate ways.

He sits back down on the bed, and reads the letter over a dozen times, tracing the accurate, elegant nature at which the letters are placed across the page. It's three lines of text, and it's a beautiful handwriting that Kaiba does not yet have. It's as if she took a brush and drew the letters as simple strokes down the page, without meaning to actually convey a message. Mokuba bursts in and he tries desperately to hide the letter.

"Seto, I'm sorry. It's your letter and – hey! Are you reading that!" Mokuba leaps on top of his brother to gain hold of the letter, and rolls away from him in the nick of time so that he won't be caught. Sprinting into the corner of the room, Mokuba unfolds the letter and reads it. Kaiba freezes as he's about to grab the letter from his younger brother's hands. The younger Kaiba looks up suspiciously at his older brother.

"What offer?" And with that simple statement, Kaiba is relieved. He does not know that Ischizu has invited him to dine with her. Of course, he outright refused to have dinner with her. It was just that clear, that he would not, under any circumstances, spend an evening with _her_. Mokuba looks at the letter, at his brother, then at the letter back again.

"What? Did she ask you out on a date?" Kaiba pales considerably. How could he take such a wild guess? His brother was quite the genius. Or maybe he was just intuitive. Oh, what did it matter? Now that he knew, he would endlessly bother him about it. Perhaps Seto Kaiba would be unable to live this moment down. Fate really did hate him.

"She did? Wow. Can't believe she'd want to go out on a date with you." Kaiba looks at Mokuba as if he's just been insulted. His younger brother smiles, as if he's teasing him. "I'm just kidding. You know, it's your decision, but I would say yes. You're not even doing anything tonight, so don't say no just because you can." Seto snatches the letter back from his brother.

"I already refused." Mokuba looks at him in shock. "I have work to do, tonight." The shocked look doesn't disappear. "She'd just waste my time." His younger brother looks worried, a little _too_ worried. Kaiba tosses the letter on his dresser. He can probably shred it when his brother isn't around.

"That's not nice, Seto," The dark-haired boy begins, looking at his brother as if he's scolding him. "You should be grateful she even asked you." Kaiba performs a well-executed double take on that statement? _Grateful? _Since when was he ever grateful for anything? Flopping down on his bed, Mokuba breathes in a sigh. "What's the harm in it, anyway? Even if you don't like her, or don't like your evening, it's only one night." Seto notices that his brother is using his own logic against him. He's taught him to argue, how to debate, how to deduce and analyze things from all different angles.

"It's a night that'll be wasted," Seto says. He's checking his face in the mirror at the moment. He wonders whether lines are growing underneath his eyes, but in a panicky inspection, he realizes they aren't. Mokuba argues some more as Kaiba runs a finger down his profile. His eyes seem more sunken in than usual, on a second glance. Brushing his cheek off with the palm of his hand, he notices its relative smoothness. Stepping away from the mirror, he decides he doesn't want to look at himself anymore. Oh, and he needs to cut his hair. It's grown shaggy and it's literally in front of his eyes right now.

"Seto, please. Do you remember? She's the one that convinced you to help Yuugi at the Battle-City Tournament." Seto grimaces. The tournament that Yuugi, unfortunately, won. He grinds his lip underneath his teeth. It was because of her that amateur won. Perhaps if he hadn't, they'd still be on relatively the same level. And to think, he was being compared to Jounouchi on terms of level of skill.

"Ischizu is really nice to me. My class went to the museum on a field trip once and she knew who I was. She said, 'Aren't you Seto's brother?' She wouldn't have asked that if she didn't remember you." Kaiba's was getting decently irritated. It's seven in the morning and he's tired. He traces the area underneath his eyes with his fingers. They really are sunken in. He must not be getting enough sleep.

"I think it's about time you started acting your own age," Mokuba says, rather boldly. Kaiba decides to flop on the bed and bury his head into his younger brother's lap. There's a definitive silence. "You're nineteen but you act as if you're sixty. You don't have to worry about me all the time." His loving younger brother caresses his hair. Kaiba lets his eyes close; he can feel his brother's pajamas underneath his cheek.

"Being successful doesn't mean being miserable. Remember? I told you that at Battle-City. I just want you to be happy." Mokuba sneaks a hand down the back of Kaiba's neck. His brother's hand feels warm and soft. Flipping over on his back, Kaiba pulls his brother's hand out from underneath him and brings it to his chest. Even now Mokuba notices his brother's sunken eyes. "I'm just another burden," The younger Kaiba begins.

"You aren't. Don't you dare say that again." Kaiba tilts his head back to the small space between his brother's legs. The ceiling is a perfect, wedding-cake white, and there's a small breeze coming in. His bed feels so soft and inviting. He wants to lay down to sleep and never wake up. But it would be a waste of time. He has so much work to do. Today is the day he has to go through the entire list of employees and see whether they are living up to expectations, carefully weeding out incompetent workers. It is a difficult job.

"So," his brother smiles unexpectedly, "are you going on that date or not?" Kaiba gives him a look, the official, business-like one. Mokuba plops a kiss on his forehead. "I love you," and for now, that's all Kaiba needs. His brother leaves, says that he has some 'business' to attend to. Kaiba lies down on his bed, very alone for the first time this morning. There's a strange disquiet aura emanating from his room. Great, now he sounds like Ishtar. He reaches for the letter again. And perhaps, when no one is looking, Kaiba reads it two dozen times more.


	3. Loneliness

_**Chapter 3: **Loneliness_

He's gotten through about half the employees on his list, and he, if given the choice, would probably remove eighty-five percent of them. Unfortunately, there are very few people in this world who work as hard as Kaiba does, and thus it isn't the workers' incompetence, it is the fact that they all pale in comparison to him. Kaiba's been hunched over for a couple of hours now, and there's a quiet knocking at the door, and he opens it to find Ischizu Ishtar, standing there. He is surprised, but says nothing. He gets this evil idea to slam the door in her face, but he doesn't. Instead, he wonders out loud.

"Who let you in?" It's almost a sneer, but since Kaiba doesn't 'sneer' technically, it isn't. But it is very close to one. She smiles slightly, letting herself in, which is strange, and awkward at the same time. This is his office, and to his incredible dislike, he is working at home. Working at home means dealing with distractions. Kaiba is clockwork and thus distractions are an utter abhorrence.

"Your brother did," she says. Her hand reaches up to gingerly rub her bare shoulder, and it is then that Kaiba notices that her cropped peasant top has short, puffed sleeves and it does not begin to clothe her torso until slightly below her shoulders. They glimmer in their honey-colored tan. She crosses and uncrosses her legs several times on a chair very close to his desk, her pastel blue skirt rustling in the quiet.

"You don't give up do you?" he says, rather mockingly. But he doesn't mean it, because Mokuba hasn't come up in hours and it's been too quiet in here. That's why his head throbs when he looks at the list of employees, and sometimes he doesn't see employees names' at all, but symbols and hieroglyphics. "I refused your offer." She closes her eyes gently and opens them again, as if he has heard the same things over and over again.

"Do you dislike me so?" He shifts his weight from one leg to another. Ischizu's walking up to him now, and he has taken note that she has this graceful form, and even her stride is rather elegant. Kaiba has a similar form of walking, but he doesn't employ it much unless he's in a business meeting of some sort. At home it is completely useless and rather tiring because he has to remember to keep his back straight, and his posture firm.

"No, it is because I have no interest in you, and you still pursue me," He states, and she fingers his collar once again. She's too close for comfort. He wants to throw her out of his mansion at this minute. This is his house and he doesn't have to allow anyone in whom he doesn't want. There she goes again, invading his personal space.

"I know that you are a good man at heart. What has made you so cold?" She says, and she looks up at him with her glassy eyes. "What has made you so?" Her voice is a light whisper. Now she's got her palm on his chest, on top of the blue cloth of his buttoned shirt. He feels uncomfortable, yet the touch is so foreign he doesn't know yet what to quite make of it.

"It isn't your business," and he removes her hand off him. He can feel his heartbeat quicken. It is time to end these advances before he lets her do too much; perhaps pry into his business so that she knows every single weakness. But she is probing him now, checking for all possibilities before approaching as if she knows too much. He dislikes those who jump to conclusions or with weak assumptions. But she hasn't come with any.

"I have work, if you don't mind." He sits down at his desk and hopes that she'll leave on her own and that he doesn't have to yell, because if he does have to yell, it will involve his head throbbing some more, and then he won't ever be able to finish. But she does not leave. Ischizu Ishtar places both her hands on his shoulders as he is hunched over, as he enters the worker's percentage to contribution in his Excel documents.

"If my head wasn't about to explode, I'd throw you out myself." He states out loud. She is strangely quiet and the effort to remove her from the premises would prove to either be a worthless one or one that required too much effort. Kaiba lets out a soft moan as he realizes she is kneading his shoulders. Her swift hands bury themselves into his flesh, loosening knots in his muscles. It feels incredible.

He lets his head loll forward and eases forward as well so she can work downwards. He lets out a ragged breath as she massages the area near his shoulder blades. Strangely, Kaiba wants more. As she presses and squeezes muscles that have long been neglected, he feels a strange calmness become of him. Then, as she moves her hands towards his temples, he enters a complete state of nirvana. He lets out a quiet request of 'more' when her hands stop moving. He gets up, rather sluggishly, and together they somehow find their way to Kaiba's room. It's dim and quiet there.

"Come here." She says, rather softly in the dark room. He obeys and feels Ischizu's warm hands quickly unbutton his shirt. She even pulls out his arms from the sleeves because Kaiba is still in his state of delirium. Kaiba lays down on his front, his naked back exposed to her. It still aches; being in a poor posture for several hours without breaks can do that to one. She tucks her legs underneath her as she sits right next to him.

Leaning forward, she soothes his aches with her hands. He moans her name quietly several times into the darkness. She finishes sometime later, her hands slightly tired. She lies down on the bed next to him, but not too close. He faces her, his hand buried deep within his own hair. They just stare at each other for a long while before Ischizu moves forward and leans into kiss him.

He welcomes her openly, clasping a hand into her hair and pulling her forward. Kaiba invites her into a tender kiss, enveloping his mouth around hers. She can feel his chest now and her hands are fidgeting in his hair, tugging at the chocolate tresses. He breaks off the kiss and she doesn't know what his expression looks like. It's too dark.

"Are you that easy with every man?" He says, a little coldly. She sits up, brushing off her skirt. It's getting a little rumpled. Ischizu shivers a little, and for a short while, Kaiba thinks she is crying. It really is too dark. He can't see anything, let alone his hand, which is almost directly in front of his face. "Well, are you?" He demands, sitting up and pressing his hand onto her shoulder.

"Not with every man I meet, because there are very few men in my life. I suppose I do get lonely," She states, pressing her head back to study the ceiling. It's unusually cold in here. "I apologize for my advances towards you." He can feel the nape of her neck now; Kaiba's pushed her hair out of the way so he can feel the soft skin underneath. She lets out a quiet gasp as she can feel his teeth sucking and biting on the back of her neck. "Seto, do you get lonely much?" Ischizu manages in between soft cries of pleasure.

"I don't have time for other people," he bites the soft nape of her neck, lifting and pulling the skin, rendering her near helpless. "And they don't have much time for me." She is like a soft kitten in his grasp; kittens that are weak when pulled up by their necks. It is very frequently a woman's weak spot. She wonders whether he is biting too hard, but it feels good nonetheless. Perhaps tomorrow morning she will wake up with several bruises on her neck. Ischizu moans contentedly as he no longer bares his teeth but drags his lips across the smooth surface of her nape. He's kissed his way upwards towards her shoulders.

"Your brother – he cares about you very much, doesn't he?" She turns her head around, and can feel the small rustle of his slacks as he shifts his sitting position from one leg underneath him to another. Kaiba lifts his head up, wiping away his soppy hair from his eyes. It isn't even warm in the room; quite cold, actually, and here he is, sweating. He murmurs a sound of consent, as if he doesn't want to bring light on the subject. Perhaps some wounds are too real to be discussed, even with her. But for a moment, Kaiba remembers he is single, unmarried, with a woman in his bedroom and of course, that he is very well known.

"What did you come for?" He asks, rather suddenly. Perhaps her intentions are to deceive him in order to swindle him of his assets. Yes, that is probably right. Everyone that came into his life, and eventually left, managed to play his or her hand of cards. And he supposed that even when he was dealt a horrible hand, he never asked to switch cards, and had never managed to fold underneath the pressure.

_I just want you to be happy_. As he slunk into her lap, looking up at her, he could envision his brother, kissing him gently as he had argued with him earlier today. No, Kaiba was so small and insignificant. He couldn't do anything right, not ever. And he kept thinking of his brother, how much he has to do for him, and how much he will have to do for him. You won't let me go, he thinks. You will hold on to me, and I will always be there for you, because that is my duty to you, he thinks. It is too much. The weight of it all is too much, and already now Kaiba was sinking under the weight.

"If you are tired, I shall go," she says, softly. He's been looking up at her face, her hand smoothing out his hair so that it is no longer a messy mop atop his head. He does feel tired, but he does not want her to go. It is a strange feeling. It has been long since he was able to tuck Mokuba into bed, choosing that perhaps his brother, as well, needs to toughen up. No, he thinks, he doesn't want his brother to become like him.

"Stay." He says, and perhaps it is the rasp in his voice, the breaking edge of it, or the fact he actually does want her to stay that she does. Kaiba feels the crumpled crepe of her skirt. Great, he's messed up her clothes. She lifts his head gently and smoothes out her skirt before laying it down again. He had nearly forgotten that he still has work, and thus he curses outwardly.

Ischizu quiets him rather bluntly, placing a finger on his lips so that he'll keep quiet. She leans her head forward and kisses him upside down, capturing his upper lip between both of hers and then releasing it slowly. With a slight grunt, he hooks his arms around her neck and pulls her down to continue the kiss. They break apart nearly a minute later, gasping for air. It is awkward, but comforting, laying his head in her lap and looking up at her upside down. She runs her hands down to his collarbone, identifying its rough yet jaunty shape.

"You must not be eating right, because your body is much more thin than it should be," She notes. He likes her voice now. Kaiba believes that all logic, reasoning and deduction left him the minute she began to massage him. She massaged all his sensibility right out the window. "And with all those clothes, it is hard to tell." He wonders for a moment whether she has considered her statement, mulled over it awhile before saying it, because he finds a secret meaning, even if she hasn't meant anything by it at all. He opens his mouth to say something, but before he can, it gets lost in his throat.

She rises from the bed and leans towards the window. It's so dark she can see the stars very clearly, the glimmering patches in the blacked out sky. Ischizu wonders whether she has spent too much time with him, that when she goes back home, she will regret ever coming here. But it is not because she knows that he will eventually leave her, and much to her discontent, she will be heartbroken. As she always has been.

"Seto!" A loud crash is heard from downstairs, and it's Mokuba's scream that allows Kaiba to leap up from the bed and dash out of the room. She is standing there, thoroughly concerned, and so, she too, follows him. There's another scream and she can see the older Kaiba sprinting down the stairs, then he stops immediately. Ischizu starts running down the stairs when she hears his voice.

"Stop!" He nearly screams at her. She hears a gunshot ring out and she can feel that the bullet was shot from somewhere nearby. She immediately freezes; hoping that whoever has the gun will stop shooting if she doesn't move. Kaiba moves, inch, by inch towards the lobby of the mansion. The chandelier that usually hangs there has been clearly shot off. The glass pieces are scattered across the floor. Was it because of this he ordered her to stop?

Ischizu sees the real cause as she peeks her head in the direction that Seto is looking in. She mentally screams. There is a man there, no, there's several of them, perhaps more than a dozen, clad in dark suits and dark sunglasses. She wants to run out to Seto and ask what the heck is going on, because she doesn't know. But the voice that rings out in the eerie lobby is clear.

"Ah, Seto Kaiba. It is nice to finally meet you. You see, I've noticed you in magazines and on television, but I've never actually met you in person,"

The tallest man says. The sunglasses are blocking her from clearly identifying them. At first she believes that they haven't seen her, and so she tries to creep back up the stairs.

"So do you usually have women around? Quite the playboy, hm?" There's a second voice. This man has Mokuba pinned to the floor. Ischizu wonders whether he is unconscious; all her chances of escape are destroyed. Kaiba moves one step closer to the initial floor and the man points the gun at him.

"I wouldn't try any further. Unless you want to see his blood ruin your marble floor." The tallest man has spoken up again. This is when she manages to sprint up the stairs until she hears a gunshot ring out. "Don't try and run for it. Call the police and I'll kill him." She feels her chest heaving up and down as he presses the gun tightly to Mokuba's head. The younger Kaiba lets out a small whimper. Tiny pinpricks of tears threaten her eyes. Kaiba turns around and orders her with his eyes to stay where she is.

"What do you want?" Kaiba yells out, rather calmly for what is going on. Sitting down on the stairs, she watches the drama unfold beneath her. The man shakes his head, and lets out a strangely sincere laugh. Chills run up Ischizu's spine as she sits there, rubbing her arms because the lobby is quite cold. She is panicked and inside turmoil swirls inside of her but outwardly she is calm, cool, and collected.

"Well, Mr. Kaiba, I want _you_," He says, with a certain sneer. "We don't want your money, but we want your skills. If you join us, you might become a valuable asset." Kaiba brushes his hand through his hair again and this time he wonders whether this man is crazy. They all wanted his money. Heck, he'd had enough to throw it around, but he never, ever did. He saved it an account for future use. And then he says something that not even he was expecting himself.

"Let my brother go. I'll come with you." It is submissive and modest, and it doesn't sound like Kaiba at all. Further up the stairs, Ischizu clasps her hands together tightly, perhaps too tightly because her knuckles pale as she brings them together. Mokuba tries to speak but the man forces his head down against the floor.

"Very well, good decision. You wouldn't want your brother to be hurt, now." The man shoves Mokuba at him. There's a quiet muffling sound as Kaiba presses his brother to his chest, and then leans down towards his ear and whispers, so quietly that the others can't hear. He bends down to his brother's level and welcomes him warmly. Ischizu shivers on the stairs. They're going to take Kaiba. They'll take him and they might kill him. No, they wouldn't kill him – they need him.

"Take care of him, Ischizu." Kaiba throws over his bare shoulder. She realizes he isn't wearing his shirt. Part of her wants to go back up and get it for him, but she stays, frozen on that step. The men snap a rather submissive looking collar onto his brother, with small electrical generating nodes on two sides. "Be safe, Mokuba." The way his brother said it, Mokuba thinks, sounds as if it will be the last time.

"No!" Mokuba runs over to him and immediately his brother falls on his knees, trying to rip the collar off his neck. The tallest man from the dozen holds up a remote control that indicates pressure settings for the collar. After a while, the convulsing stops and Kaiba drops to his knees, gasping for air. There were electrical shocks programmed into the collar to train police dogs.

"Don't bother leaving the mansion, either. There are snipers situated right outside." The man sneers. Mokuba collapses and places his face in his hands. Ischizu finally goes to him, stepping quietly on each marble stair and wrapping her arms around him protectively. He shrugs off her hands and begins to cry, wiping at his eyes rather quickly with his sleeve.

The men in the dark suits and dark glasses finally leave with Kaiba. It is desolate and quiet in the lobby. The chandelier's glass pieces are still on the floor. She can see the different reflections of the ceiling, and finally herself and Mokuba. He swipes away a pile of glass shards out of his way so he doesn't have to see himself cry. It was dark, and the shattered glass windows brought in a sweep of wind that howled all around them.


	4. Escape

_**Chapter 4: **Escape_

She's been sitting alone in the kitchen, and realizes it is very late. Mokuba's been locked in his room for an hour. It was right after they left that he shut himself in his room. Ischizu didn't need to have good hearing to be able to listen to his sobs. The poor boy must have thought it was his fault that his brother was taken away. Quietly, she believes that it is not over. That there is much more to those men in their dark suits than it appears to be. Wiping away at her eyes, she proceeds up the stairs and knocks gently on the boy's door.

"Mokuba?" It's quiet in the room, and she hopes that nothing has happened to him since. She realizes the door is unlocked and her eyes settle on his small figure curled up on the bed. Ischizu quietly caresses his hair until she can feel his shoulders move up and down slightly, as if he is shaking. He speaks up, his voice tiny and distant.

"It was my fault," he said, between hiccups, "that they got in. I saw them on the security monitor but I didn't want to bother my brother, so I thought I could set up the provisions between the mansion and the gate. When I did set them up, I found out they had some men already close to the mansion because I'd set up the system too late. It's my fault they took Seto." Ischizu warmly clasps his small hand in hers, and pivots his shoulders so he is facing her.

"It was not your fault. Those men would've gotten in if they had really wanted to, regardless of your security. He went because he wanted to protect you. It is not your fault at all." She says quietly, kissing him on his forehead. "All we have to do is find a way out, and then save your brother." Mokuba immediately gets up, as if he's surprised that Ischizu hasn't given up hope.

"But how? That man did say there were snipers outside, and even if he was bluffing, I don't want to take that chance." Mokuba reasoned, his hands fidgeting with themselves on his lap. She cupped his face into her hands, bringing it slowly to her chest. He remembered, that her touch seemed faintly like his mother's. Except he had never seen his mother. She had died when he was born, but sometimes he could 'feel' her from Seto's stories.

"There is always hope. Snipers will be able to shoot us down if they see us. We have to keep out of their sight," she began to explain, pulling the boy into her lap. "Let's work together and find a way out. We will save your brother if we get out of here first." Mokuba rested his head onto her chest. It was dark and he was tired.

"Come. We will eat some sandwiches first, and then plan." She said, smiling. Mokuba hopped off his bed and they headed off to the kitchen. Now she really wished that she had gone to dinner with Kaiba. Perhaps she would've brought along his brother too, and none of this would've happened. With a sigh, she opened the refrigerator and took out a glass jar of jam and another one full of peanut butter.

She snatched the bag of sliced bread and took out a couple. Mokuba watched as she smoothed out the jam onto one slice and peanut butter onto another. That's exactly how his brother did it, too. Then, much to his surprise, she cut them in triangles. Seto always cut them in triangles.

"I think we need to find out where the snipers are, if there are any, of course," she says, as she hands him a plate with the sandwich triangles on them. She bites into her own sandwich, and eats it a little slowly. "Your brother must have known a way out of here otherwise he would not have agreed to leave if he knew we would not be able to escape. So we have to think like Seto, and we will find a way out." She swallowed that last piece of the sandwich and washed her hands. Mokuba nibbled on one end of his sandwich, deep in thought.

"Remember what you said? About the snipers only being able to shoot us if they saw us? What if there's an underground route to the outside?" Mokuba asked out loud. But he didn't remember his brother telling him about any underground passage, and if there were, he didn't know where it was. He chewed on the last bit of his sandwich thoughtfully.

"Maybe Seto kept plans for it. And if he does, they must be lying around the mansion somewhere, right?" Ischizu asked, pouring orange juice into a tall glass. "At the very least, he will have written something about it somewhere." She dropped two ice cubes into his glass and handed it to Mokuba. "Where does your brother keep his company information?" With a gulp of orange juice, he cleared his throat.

"He keeps his stuff on his computer. If he made a underground passage for the mansion, he would have it on there!" Both of them burst out of their chairs and headed up the stairs to Kaiba's office. Mokuba slid into the chair and turned the computer on. Ischizu leaned forward, her left arm resting on the younger Kaiba's shoulder. As soon as the password screen appeared, Mokuba groaned.

"My brother has a password so nobody else but him could access his files. He never told me his password, either." He slunk slowly into the seat. His own brother's genius was preventing them from escaping! "Maybe I could try some common stuff, I mean, I do know a lot about him." She watched patiently behind the chair as he entered password after password but eventually gave up after the twentieth or twenty-fifth try.

"It is no use. Maybe we can try some dates? Did you try his birthday?" Mokuba nodded to her question. "Do you know any other important dates that Seto might have used?" She asked aloud. Her eyes hurt, immensely. It might have been the white screen but for hours she had not slept, and the later it got, the more sluggish she felt.

"Oh!" Mokuba said, a little slowly, as he entered a set of digits, perhaps an epiphany had occurred to him. 'Password Verified. Welcome, Mr. Kaiba.' He sighed a little. His brother had used the date of his parents' car crash. Why would he possibly want to remember that day? Why would his brother want to keep it as a daily reminder? Perhaps his brother was more depressed than he thought. Mokuba decided to keep this information from Ischizu.

"Now try and search any documents for some keywords related to an underground passage. It is probable there is no passage. Maybe there is another way that we have not found out yet," she said, a little disappointedly. Mokuba clicked to enter the search screen and entered some keywords. He felt Ischizu's head resting slightly on his shoulder. Maybe she was tired.

"Ischizu?" She lifted her head abruptly, as she hadn't realized the extreme lack of cooperation of her body. She answered with a soft 'hm'. "Do, I mean, do you – um..do you like my brother?" He asked, and continued to type as if to shield the pink flush appearing on his cheeks. Ischizu rose from her position and sat on Kaiba's desk, facing Mokuba.

"It is unimportant at the moment. We should focus on escaping." She says, softly. He nods, and perhaps he noticed the slight hitch in her voice as she said so. Maybe she did like his brother! It would be so great to have somebody else in the house besides his brother. And then maybe she could mellow out his Seto, too. He smiled quietly as he searched. Mokuba let out a whispery 'I got it!' as he pointed to the screen.

"Where does it say it is?" Ishizu pondered aloud. It was getting darker and darker outside with every moment. She hoped they could escape before it got so dark they could barely see.

"In the basement. Let's go!" Sprinting off, both headed down to the first floor. In the hallway leading to the kitchen, there was a locked-off door. They didn't have a key, so Mokuba headed off to the small box in the closet that held a wrench. He slammed the wrench against the lock. No budge.

"Here, let me try." Ischizu swung the wrench over her shoulder, and then used one foot as a pivot point to give a greater swing at the lock. With a blundering smash, the lock fell apart to pieces. Mokuba removed the remains of the rusty, very low-tech lock and threw it aside. Swinging the door open, they both clambered down the stairs of the rather clean yet dark basement. Ischizu stumbled about in the darkness until she clasped Mokuba's hand as guidance. The boy had probably been here before.

"Here. It's like a trap door to the outside, but it's not directly above. There's probably about three feet of dirt," Mokuba said, pointing to the small, rectangular shaped opening. It was rather small, and Ischizu doubted whether she could fit in it. The young boy took the wrench from her, and pressing one foot against the opening of the door, and the other firmly on the ground, held the wrench high above his head and then bludgeoned the digital display, which requested a password. There wasn't any time for password guessing. The two needed to get out. Prying open the door, Ischizu saw the mounds of dirt collapse into the clean, marble floor.

"We should get to digging then." She dug her hands underneath the rather fertile soil and began to pull the thick clumps apart. Her fingernails began to get dirt-sodden and even Mokuba's face was matted with dirt and sweat as they managed to get through a foot thick of dirt. The piles of soil began to collect at their ankles. The younger Kaiba dug rapidly through the dirt, hands tearing it apart to get through. Finally, they reached a smooth surface on the other end. Scraping the last of the dirt off the metal on the other side, Mokuba climbed in the passage to get a better look.

"No! It's locked!" She heard him sniffle. Handing him the wrench, they desperately tried to unscrew the thick bolts, but to no avail. Smashing the screen wouldn't help either. Ischizu gave a long, hard sigh. Seto would not have left them here alone in the mansion if there were not a way out. Maybe it wasn't a route out that they needed – it was a plan.

"Come on out, Mokuba. There is no use." She placed her head in her hands, even though they were clearly dirt-streaked. Mokuba sat quietly next to her. Their only means of escape was gone. He leaned his head on her shoulder.

"The phone lines are out. Snipers are outside. There's a big, annoying metal door at the end of that passage, and I'm tired. I miss my brother." The young Kaiba said. It was almost one A.M. in the household. If his big brother had known there was a way out, why didn't he tell him? He sighed. But wait – maybe it wasn't just this route. Maybe Kaiba knew that Mokuba would be able to figure out how to get out of there, using the exits given to him. Maybe it wasn't just a matter of staying out of the snipers' sights. Perhaps it was a matter of making them _believe_ they saw them.

"Ischizu!" He shook her shoulder. She looked up at him, her lips glued together in a thin line. Her entire body ached. "I know a way out! Just listen to me!" Leaning towards her ear, he explained his wonderful plan to her. A small smile graced her lips.

The snipers on top of the roof were rather tired. They had been taking pills to keep their hands steady for hour after hour, even though there were clear limits on how many dosages were possible in a given day. Their leader, Giovanni, had ordered them to execute anyone who tried to step out of the door. The smallest sniper shrugged his shoulder and wiped the sweat off his cheek. It had been a long, boring night. They were wearing heat vision goggles to detect even the smallest trace of human life. They had taken Giovanni's orders seriously. The sniper's eye twitched as he looked down the long barrel. What!

A small, heat trace had flattened himself against the Kaiba mansion. The sniper smirked. That must be that Seto Kaiba's brother! Popping a white tablet into his mouth, he began to grind his teeth rapidly to keep his hand steady. The little bugger moved across the field pretty fast. Predicting that the boy would head for the trees, he aimed slightly above him. His finger rested on the trigger, and he slightly depressed it…

His heart lurched as he noticed there was another heat sign. Swinging wildly around, there was a taller figure towards the middle of the field, going the opposite way. Not knowing who to shoot first, he guessed that the boy would be more important and swung the gun back to its' original location. Huh? The boy had disappeared. Three more heat traces appeared on the field.

The snipers on the roof began to panic. Dozens of people were sprouting out of the building. They began to shoot them, one by one; their bullets were strangely not hitting their targets, even though their aim was near perfect. The snipers began shooting wildly, managing to hit some of the people. They collapsed and rather content, until another surge of people began outpouring from the entrance. What the..?

Mokuba hid behind the tree, his chest pounding. Ischizu was further ahead, motioning for him to come. Leaping into her arms, they crouched behind a thick brush of trees for a couple of minutes, trying to regain their breaths. With a small smile, he looked up at Ischizu. Clasping his face in her hands, she kissed him tenderly on his cheek. Blushing, he snuck his head around, trying to make sure they had made it to the woody area behind the mansion.

"You are a genius," she breathed, kissing him again. He smiled shyly. The holograms had definitely been useful. They ordinarily lacked body temperatures, so he merely added a temperature setting to all of the holograms to make them more life-like. Kaiba had employed this precaution of putting heat signs because they might be mistaken for real humans. Then, he had programmed the holograms to collapse after two bullets would graze the volume or surface of the hologram image to keep the snipers busy. It had been quite impressive.

"Now," she began, whispering rather quietly, "We will head to Yuugi's. I will explain to him what has happened so far. Perhaps he can help us. Saving your brother right now is impossible because we do not know where he is. Let us focus on getting more information on who kidnapped him first." Mokuba nodded, and both headed off into the darkness of the night.


	5. A Promise

_**Chapter 5**: A Promise_

There was a sharp knocking on the door of Yuugi Moto's home. Bursting out of bed quickly, since he was a light sleeper, he tiptoed to the door, making sure Grandpa wasn't awake yet. He checked the eyehole first, and noticed a small boy and a mysterious woman. That was strange. At first, he turned, because it was too dark to really know who it was, but when the knocking continued, Yuugi gave in and opened the door. And what a surprise it was.

The raven-haired boy leaped into his arms, clasping him tightly around the waist. Surprised, he noticed the Egyptian woman at his door, Ischizu Ishtar, the woman whose brother, Malik, had faced off against him. His hands were strangely at his sides until he noticed that this little boy, who was actually _slightly_ taller than him, was Mokuba, Kaiba's brother.

"Hi," he said, a little embarrassedly. "It's kinda late, you both. What are you guys doing here?" He asked, rather frankly. Mokuba unclasped his hands from Yuugi's waist and wiped at his eyes. They both looked tired and matted with dirt. There was a fine amount of dirt stains on their clothes and on their bodies, and Yuugi could only imagine what had happened to them.

"Yuugi, it's my brother," Mokuba turned his head to the side, as if it was difficult for him to say what he needed to say. "These men, they came and.." his voice hitched. Concerned, Yuugi held his shoulder supportively. "And they took him away!" Mokuba buried his head into Yuugi's chest. Ischizu brushed stray hair from her face. The smallest boy looked up at her.

"It is true, Yuugi." She said, softly. Her face and voice looked as if filled with regret. Yuugi smoothed out the small boy's hair, and Mokuba would remember that was exactly how his brother would thread his hand through his hair in the mornings. Yuugi mentioned that they both could start telling him everything they knew when they were ready. Shyly, Ischizu gripped the hem of her shirt and twisted it when she spoke. When Mokuba had gone in Yuugi's room to be 'alone', she quietly requested to take a shower.

"Yeah, it's um, okay!" He said, rubbing the back of his head. He directs her to the bathroom located near his door. At this point, Grandpa has woken up and requests to talk to the boy alone. "Um, there's soap in the soap dish near the sink, and a fresh towel already hung there. Shampoo and the other stuff is near um..the towel rack. If you need anything else, just ask me." He blushed forty-three different shades of red.

"Yuugi, what's going on here? It's one A.M.!" Grandpa exclaimed, pointing at the clock above the darkened hallway. Yuugi explains briefly that one of his friends is in trouble, and that it is urgent. "All right, I understand. Don't make too much noise now, I'm sleeping." The older man headed back to his room, and closed the door to minimize noise. It is then that Yuugi heard small sniffles from his room. He pulled gently at the hem of his Dark Magician pajamas and headed into the room.

"Hey," Yuugi paused by the door when he saw Mokuba had sat on edge of his bed, wiping feverishly at his eyes with his sleeves. "Mokuba, I know you love your brother. That's why we're going to save him." Mokuba looked up at him with glazed eyes. "We're going to find out who those men are, and we're going to get your brother back. I promise." He hugged the small boy, even though he was slightly bigger than him in height only.

"Thanks," he hiccupped, "Yuugi." Mokuba then heads out of the room and says that he wants to eat, because he hasn't eaten anything in hours. Yuugi says that he too, is hungry. They both headed out and passed by the bathroom when Ischizu called out softly.

"Yuugi? I need proper clothing, but I cannot wear yours, as they would not fit me." She said, rather worriedly. Yuugi blushed sixty-seven shades of red, and Mokuba only twenty-two, and they both sweatdropped as they realized that neither of them had any female clothing in the house. With a bright idea, he told Ischizu to wait. She agreed, and shortly after, Mokuba heard the soft fall of water. Heading back to his room, Yuugi picked up his phone and dialed Jounouchi's number.

"Hello? Jounouchi! I need you to come over quick. Yeah, I know it's late. But Kaiba's in danger, and we need to help him. Oh, and um..can you bring a set of your sisters' clothes? Or something? No, no, it's not for me. It's for Ischizu. She and Mokuba came here and told me what happened to Kaiba. Thanks Jounouchi!" He clicked the phone shut, and heard Mokuba laughing softly at the door. This time he only blushes twenty-one shades.

"Jounouchi!" Moments later, Jounouchi appears at the door, looking rather soppy. It had begun to rain. Ushering him in, Yuugi asks him where the clothes are. He hands him over, somewhat embarrassedly, and then demands to know more about what's going on. Mokuba appears by the stairs.

And even though Mokuba hasn't taken a liking to Jounouchi until today, he hugs him warmly. The tall blonde looks rather confused, but rubs the small boy's head. Yuugi heads over to the bathroom, holding a stack of clothes, and knocks on the door. The door opens, rather wide, and there is Ischizu, wrapped in a rather small, beige towel that reaches towards her knees.

"Thank you, Yuugi." She says, and taking the clothes, she smiles warmly at him. Yuugi achieves a record of eighty-six shades of red, blushing madly until he reached his room, where Jounouchi and Mokuba were talking together in hushed whispers. He heard the door from the bathroom swing open, and Ischizu, donned in her flannel pajamas, rakes her fingers through her wet hair and follows Yuugi.

"I should take one, too. I feel kinda dirty." Mokuba exclaimed, and it is then that Yuugi realizes that Mokuba and him probably wear the same size of clothes, and thus he buried himself in his drawers, and Ischizu watched with much amusement as he pulled out a plain white t-shirt and some cotton pajamas, covered entirely with miniature Dark Magicians. Jounouchi laughed as he reminded Yuugi that people wore undergarments under their clothes. He blushes eighteen shades of red this time, and shoves some clothes underneath the shirt.

"I like them." Mokuba wraps his hands around the clothes and heads to the bathroom. After he leaves, both Jounouchi and Ischizu burst out laughing, and Yuugi shuffled uncomfortably by his bed. Then, there was a deadening quiet, in which one might've heard a pin drop. The water from the bathroom was heard in the room, filling the crevices and the quiet that covered their fears in a gentle, comforting blanket.

"So what happened?" Jounouchi asks, because he is probably the only one that doesn't know what's going on. Ischizu bears a solemn look, and sits down next to Yuugi. "All Yuugi told me was that Kaiba was in danger. I just wanna know what's happened." He brushes his hair out of his eyes with his hand, much like Kaiba does, and this, Ischizu notices.

"There were men, dressed in dark clothing. They came into the mansion, and held Mokuba to gunpoint. Kaiba offered himself in exchange for his brother, and so he went with them. Those men said that we could not call the police, either. I am afraid they might kill Kaiba." She says, rather softly. "I think he knew about it all along."

"What? You mean Kaiba knew these men were coming?" Yuugi asks, putting a comforting hand on her arm. "If he knew, then why would he..?" He trailed off into nothing. Even Jounouchi, who has said nothing, looks up at the ceiling as if he's trying to find answers. Answers. That is what everyone wants right now.

"It seemed as if he knew about it. He looked as if he knew that they were coming. And when they held Mokuba by gunpoint, Kaiba was calm, as if he had rehearsed that same look several times before. I know it sounds strange, but that is what I think." She's still toweling her hair, and Yuugi is deep in thought. Jounouchi had thrown himself across Yuugi's bed, looking up. It's been a long night. He wonders whether it would be inappropriate to just ask everyone to sleep for now, and then, in the morning, figure out what to do. It might even be a good decision, considering how tired everyone is.

"Yuugi?" The young boy looks up at the door, where Mokuba is standing, clad in pajamas, shifting his feet side to side. "We can't help my brother right now. Not even if we tried, because we don't know where he is." Yuugi nods, understanding that perhaps the boy is right. "I just want to get my rest, but in the morning, I want to help. I know it sounds selfish, but right now, I don't feel so well anyway." He looks at the floor the entire time. He doesn't want everyone to think he doesn't care about his brother. He does. More than anyone and anything else in the world.

"I understand. That makes perfect sense. Your home is not safe, though. Yuugi?" Ischizu turns to the smaller boy, and he blushes slightly. Do they want to stay here? It doesn't bother him at all. Perhaps Jounouchi won't mind staying either. They all need to sort out what's going on and figure out what to do next.

"You guys can stay here. Jounouchi, please stay. It would really help." The blonde nods, and together, they have formed an unwritten pact, even though they don't know it. They want to save Kaiba, and that, even though each one of them has different views of Kaiba, is clear. "Ischizu, there's a guest bed down the hall where the bathroom was. Mokuba, you can sleep here, and Jounouchi..um..you'll have to sleep on the couch." His friend topples over, rather disappointed that Yuugi gave him the infamous couch to sleep on.

"Good night." Ischizu says, but before she leaves, she kisses Mokuba on the forehead, as she has done so many times today, to tell him that she _will_ find out where Kaiba is, and she _will_ save him. The younger boy blushes substantially before she leaves, and the taller blonde argues all the way to the couch. At least he isn't alone. He gives Yuugi a half smile.

"I'll sleep on the floor, okay?" Yuugi starts spreading a bedroll on the floor. Mokuba watches him rather sadly as he does so. He doesn't want to sleep alone, even if Yuugi is in the same room. It feels childish; he has slept alone most of his life, but some nights he would sleep with his brother, holding onto him rather tightly.

"Yuugi, can you please sleep here? Please?" The boy stops spreading the bedroll on the floor and places it in the closet, and while he does this, and unknown to anyone else, Yuugi blushes six shades of red. Closing the closet, he turns of the light and hops into the bed, where Mokuba has already lied down. "My brother would always sleep with me when I would ask him. But then, as I grew older, he told me to conquer my fears." The dark-haired child buries a hand underneath the pillow, as he always does, curls up his legs and puts his left hand underneath his left cheek.

It is quiet now. Yuugi has left substantial space between them, to make sure he doesn't kick the boy or push him out of bed by accident. Much to his surprise, Mokuba pulls himself over on Yuugi's side of the bed and wraps his arms around his neck, placing his head on his chest. Blushing an indescribable amount of shades, the other boy holds Mokuba by his waist. Placing his hands on his shoulders, Mokuba feels safe and loved in Yuugi's arms.

"Remember my promise." Yuugi says, as he begins to drift off to sleep, but before he can, Mokuba clasps Yuugi's face in his hands and kisses him gently on the forehead, and rolls on top of him. "Mokuba," he says, in a short gasp. And the boy collapses on top of him, burying his head into Yuugi's chest and curling his arms around his neck. They were sound asleep in minutes.

"Mokuba. Listen." Yuugi rubbed his eyes the next morning, when he awoke to the noise. Stretching his arms, he heard it again. "Mokuba." Confused, he began to look around wildly at the source of the sound, but found none. It sounded strangely familiar, and Yuugi could not get it out of his head. "Mokuba!" With a wild swing of his head, Yuugi found the source of the sound. It was a glinting sphere, half-covered by Mokuba's collar. Shaking Mokuba, and explaining that he had heard Kaiba from the sphere attached to his neck, Mokuba voiced confusion.

"It's on your neck! It looks like a tracer." Snapping it off, he held it up in the light. It began to emit the same sounds. Perhaps it was Kaiba trying to contact them! "Jounouchi! Ischizu! Wake up!" Mokuba snatched the tracer from Yuugi's hand and began to shake it, hoping that he could hear his brother's voice again. Just one more time, he thought. That's all he needed.

"Listen carefully." Mokuba could feel the tears edging out of his eyes. His brother! He could hear him again! "If you're hearing this, you got out safely. I'm proud of you." Yuugi leaned forward to listen better. Ischizu appeared at the door, and when she heard Kaiba's voice being emitted from the object in Mokuba's hands, she could barely believe it. Edging near the bed, she hoped that Kaiba was safe.

"I don't have much time. Push the red button on the bottom and tell me where you are." Mokuba turned the small, disc-shaped tracer around and noticed the button, pressing it, he spoke into the small, gray circle in the middle.

"I'm at Yuugi's, Seto. Are you okay?" His hand trembled, and he pushed the red button again, assuming it would allow Kaiba to talk. He didn't want to really talk. All he wanted to do was hear his brother's voice and be sure that he was okay. What proceeded was a volley of short, brief comments between Yuugi and Seto.

"Is Yuugi there?" He asked, and Mokuba heard the soft clank of something in the background. Metal? Maybe his brother was being held somewhere. But what did those men want from his brother? Those men had said they didn't want money. What more could they have wanted?

"Yes, Seto. He's right here." Mokuba replied, deep in thought. His brother still hadn't mentioned where he was. Perhaps it was too dangerous. That's probably why nobody had even bothered to ask. Jounouchi walked in, rubbing his eyes, and when he noticed the tracer, kneeled close to Mokuba to listen in.

"Yuugi, I need you to do something for me." Kaiba had a strange tone in his voice. Had they hurt his brother? He would make them pay. Mokuba's lip trembled. Perhaps they had tortured him. They might not have killed him because they needed him for his 'skills'. That's what that man had said. But why wasn't his brother telling him anything? He chewed his lip.

"Anything, Kaiba." Yuugi held onto the tracer, as Mokuba handed it to him. Kaiba hadn't asked Yuugi of anything before in his life, much less anyone. Jounouchi was irked at what Kaiba was forced to do. Perhaps..perhaps he was in greater trouble than anyone of them could imagine. He brushed his blonde locks out of the way and leaned forward towards Yuugi. He didn't want to miss a thing.

"It is my duty to protect my brother, but I'm unable to. Protect him." Seto's voice is stern and clear even though his voice sounds distant. Mokuba wants to cry, because his brother hasn't forgotten him just yet. And he hasn't forgotten Seto, either.

"I will." Yuugi nods his head. He knows that he's been given a very important task. Protecting Mokuba at all costs. Yuugi had never had a younger brother, or an older one, and thus he didn't know what it was like to protect a sibling. He felt slightly warm inside, thinking that he, perhaps, could make Kaiba proud of him. Maybe then they could be friends, too. Maybe.

"Good. If anything happens to him, I will hold you responsible." Jounouchi does a near double take on Kaiba's statement. So the guy really hasn't changed at all! The blonde began to think – perhaps even if they did find out where Kaiba was, how would they save him? Calling the police was off, as apparently Mokuba and Ischizu both confirmed that a call to the authorities might mean Kaiba's death. He sighed. They were definitely going to have to think this one through.

"Seto! Please, tell us where you are!" Snatching back the tracer from Yuugi's hands, he speaks into the voicebox, unsure and uncertain of whether they would be able to save his brother. Would they? What! Of course they would! Why had he begun to question himself? He wanted to save his brother. He did. He just didn't know how. If only…

"I can't. I have to go. They're coming." Seto says, silently, much more hushed than the rest of his statements. Perhaps he's contacting him without the men knowing. Yes, that's probably it. His eyes begin to water. Mokuba doesn't want to stop talking to his brother. He loves him. He loves him so much Seto probably doesn't even know how much.

"I love you, Seto," he says, and it's almost a whimper. And there's static on the other line for a while, and a soft sigh. Yuugi hasn't heard Kaiba sigh in a long time. Or ever. That's strange. He wonders whether Kaiba will tell his brother that he loves him, too. Yes, that's what a good brother would do, wouldn't he?

"Be safe, Mokuba." And there's a definite click on the other end, as if he has hung up. Pressing the red button frantically, Mokuba finds it no use. The connection has been cut from the other end. His lips twitch briefly and it then that he gets up and runs from the room. Be safe? That was his way of saying 'I love you' wasn't it? Of course it was! He'd known Seto all his life. He was his brother, after all. But why..why..why did it seem as if Seto was keeping something from him? Why didn't he trust him? A lone sob racked up his throat as he collapsed on the couch, burying his head into his hands.


	6. The Plan

_**Chapter 6**: The Plan_

Ischizu combed her hair neatly in front of Yuugi's dresser. She was worried, clearly. Mokuba was getting more and more depressed the longer they took to take action. But there wasn't anything they could do, not really, anyway. It was a break from school, and thus, giving a last comb to her dark hair, she went to the kitchen to eat breakfast with the boys. Mokuba sat there, dejectedly, next to Yuugi. His confidence had been shattered. Kaiba hadn't told them about where he was being held. Perhaps he didn't trust his own brother.

"We need to plan." Jounouchi said, pouring milk into bowls. The younger Kaiba noticed that was the opposite way his brother did it. He always poured the cereal first to make sure he had enough. He busied himself with locket, fidgeting with it, and then finally opening it and staring at it for a long while. He gave a deep sigh. How he wished to go back to those days. Even if they lived in an orphanage, all Seto had was Mokuba, and all Mokuba had was Seto.

"We don't even know where Kaiba is," Yuugi said, accidentally flipping the cereal box upside down and thus creating a tidal wave of cereal on the table. Because it was clean, Yuugi scooped up a handful and dropped it into his bowl. Ischizu, feeling more polite, decided to make herself some coffee instead. Mokuba swept some cereal grains into his bowl and began to eat. Even the cereal wasn't the same.

Sifting a packet of sugar into her coffee, she blew on the surface lightly, deciding to stand near the stove instead of back at the table. Ischizu felt strangely out of place. Jounouchi and Yuugi were teenage boys, and Mokuba was a preteen, while she was a grown woman. Perhaps she, like many others, had overlooked the fact that Seto was a teenager as well. Biting her lip, she downed some of her coffee, trying to block him out. She could feel his warm, tender kisses on her mouth, his hand in her hair. It was unbelievable. She sipped some more coffee sadly.

"I know that, Yuugi! But we gotta at least try!" Jounouchi said, with his mouth full. Mokuba induced a laugh. How could he be laughing at a time like this? His brother was captured. And it was his entire fault. He admired Jounouchi's courage. At least he wanted to do something. But he knew that Yuugi was right. There was nothing they could do. Not now, anyway.

"I feel like I am unable to go home." Ischizu says, almost in a whisper to herself. The dark-haired boy hears this, and shoves another spoonful of cereal in his mouth. He knew he couldn't go home either. Perhaps both Ischizu and him were unsafe. If they went to their homes, those men could always come after them. But it wasn't them that they wanted. It was his brother.

"I'm sorry, Jounouchi, but we need to find out Kaiba's location first." Yuugi argues, placing his bowl in the sink. Jounouchi does the same, and even Mokuba follows suit. Ischizu is standing near the wind, her cup of coffee in her hands, gazing distantly off at something in the horizon. Perhaps, she too, misses Kaiba.

The bell rung at that moment, and Jounouchi leapt over Yuugi to race him to the door. The younger Kaiba stays near Ischizu, and while she isn't looking, he holds one of her hands, lacing his fingers through hers. She looks down at him with a weak smile and squeezes his hand. They have something in common now. She places her cup in the double-sink and closes her eyes.

Maybe it is just a dream and she will wake up next to Kaiba, and perhaps she fell asleep when she was massaging him. Yes, that would make perfect sense. She just wants to make it all go away. But she can't, because this is reality, and no matter how much she dislikes it, she can't change it. She opens her eyes again.

"Otogi!" Mokuba lets go of her hand and rushes to the doorway, where the young businessman is standing. Unlike Jounouchi, Mokuba has liked Otogi for a long time. They became quick friends after making several business deals, and sometimes he would take the younger Kaiba out for ice cream, much to Kaiba's discontent.

"Hey, kid. I heard what happened." Otogi forces a smile, which he hasn't done in a long time. He rubs Mokuba's hair gently before pulling away from the child and looking at him. He looked sleep-deprived and sad. Otogi had definitely not seen the youngster in this mood for a long time. Usually he'd drag his stoic and stubborn brother around to places in order to get some 'light of day' since he had even called his brother a 'vampire'. Otogi had laughed at that one. But there was no laughing evident in his face. The businessman traced his finger underneath the boy's eyes and down to his chin, pulling it up.

"These men in dark suits came and took my brother away. They said they needed his 'skills'. I really don't understand." Mokuba shook his head sadly, and Ischizu stood at the window, deciding that her heart was crumpled and broken. So broken that she really did not want to talk to anyone right now. She wanted to escape into some room and never come out. A weak, raggedy sigh escaped her.

"Ischizu? I heard from Yuugi that you thought that Kaiba knew what was going to happen. You mean he seemed strange right before those men came?" Otogi stood up, striding over to her, and placed a consoling hand on her shoulder. It seemed as if most people had forgotten that she had been there, that she had seen it all, and most importantly, she had been with Kaiba right before it all happened.

"Yes. I think he knew what was going to happen. Right before he was taken away, he was quiet, and then when he talked, it seemed as if it was the last time he'd say those things. Maybe he had known all along that those people were coming for him." She said, insightfully, tilting her head upwards to look at the ceiling. Why hadn't Kaiba just told them where he was?

"I think you're right," Otogi said, the light dancing in his eyes. Perhaps he, too, had heard that strained tone in his voice. "None of us knows what's going on, but to tell you the truth, I think it has something to do with his birthday. Why would those men have waited until after his nineteenth birthday to kidnap him?" The realization struck Mokuba like lightning. Of course! Why hadn't he thought of it before? If those men had wanted Kaiba, why hadn't they taken him a year ago, or two years ago? What was going on?

"Otogi? Do you have an idea who it could've been?" The raven-haired child had tugged on his hand, as if he thought that the older boy had forgotten all about him. He breathed in gently, touching the dark hair of the boy in front of him.

"I'm not sure. I have…a clue. But, it's a long shot." Ischizu immediately turned around, as if intrigued that perhaps, they were on to something. Yes, everything seemed to add up! After his nineteenth birthday? His 'skills'? It seemed as if the men had wanted Kaiba to do something for them that they could not do themselves. What did Kaiba had that nobody else did?

"There were these men, that came almost two months ago to my office. They called themselves the LEAF. LEAF was an organization that created space satellites to improve worldwide Internet connections." Mokuba gasped as soon as he heard Otogi say these words. It was making sense now. They were piecing together a puzzle practically blindfolded, but something clicked.

"LEAF! Are…are you serious?" Mokuba's lip trembled. No, it couldn't be them. Every member of LEAF had been jailed years ago. When their leader had left them, the group disbanded, only to be jailed afterwards because they were guilty by association. This could not be the same organization that Otogi was talking about. No way!

"Mokuba? What do you know?" Otogi grabbed the boy strongly by the shoulders. Ischizu, immediately concerned, knelt next to the younger Kaiba. If only they could bring the pieces together, they could solve the puzzle. Maybe Kaiba didn't think they were so stupid after all. He knew they would be able to find out where he was on their own.

"Otogi, do you remember when we were trapped in the Virtual world, by Noa? Gozaburo said that he had stolen Noa's idea of creating worldwide Internet connections to take over people and digitize them. But KaibaCorp, at the time, only made weapons, so they had to order the satellites by another organization, called LEAF," Mokuba said, and it was then that Otogi's eyes widened. "who would make the satellites for us, but they never asked any questions. After Gozaburo's plan was out in the open, the police jailed everyone that was associated with it. LEAF hadn't known anything about my stepfather's plans. LEAF's leader was killed by the police, and the rest of the members were jailed."

"This is much, much more serious than I thought." It was at that moment, Yuugi and Jounouchi decided to come in, lingering at the door as they noticed how everyone was absorbed by what they were saying. "At first, I believed that Kaiba had something to do with those men. But that is not true. If LEAF wanted revenge, they might have killed him. I think I understand what is happening..." Ischizu drifted off, her hand clasped over her mouth as if her ideas were true horrifying to be said. Otogi looked at Mokuba wildly to understand.

"You see? After we left the Virtual world, the satellite was still there. The only one who was licensed to control it was my stepfather. His death meant that the satellite was transferred to the company, but since my brother was head of it, he had the ability to still use it. But I don't think that satellite was used _just_ for Internet communication," Mokuba said darkly. Yuugi, who had finally caught up on the conversation, dreaded what was to come. "LEAF didn't just make satellites for us. They made them for the government, for other organizations, so basically other people. That means that to save money, they made a basic model for their most frequent customers. They didn't customize our satellite for communication only. It is a government _weapon_."

Jounouchi jumped at the word, 'weapon'. The younger Kaiba buried his hand into his hair, as if all this talk was making him dizzy. It was true. So it was true. His brother hadn't had anything to do with it. But he knew that when Kaiba wanted to protect something, he would make it so that there was no possible way anyone other than himself would be able to unlock it. Like a password. Mokuba felt faint.

"So your brother didn't inactivate that satellite?" Otogi asked, incredulously. It seemed as if all was lost. If LEAF had the ability to use that weapon, why didn't they already? But they had needed Kaiba for something. They had needed his 'skills'. Why would…?

"Of course not! My brother disabled the satellite and put it in hibernation. It was left that way for a long time. It would have been too costly to go up and destroy the satellite itself. And my brother didn't have the authority to, anyway. He programmed a password to it that nobody else would be able to guess." Mokuba finished. He almost could feel his knees buckling.

"What was the password?" Yuugi asked, gently from the doorway. It was the only question he had ever asked the entire time. Perhaps saving Kaiba would be much more difficult than he had thought. But if it were a password no one would be able to guess, why would LEAF try to get it out of him? If they killed him, they'd never find out the password. LEAF didn't take anyone hostage either, and thus, that meant Kaiba had nothing to lose…

"His genetic code." Ischizu answered for him, plainly. "If Kaiba was the only one who would be able to open it, it would be his own blood. The organization knows that. That might be why they would take him, instead of killing him." Mokuba shuddered at her words. She was right. Ischizu had understood that Kaiba would not have made it a simple word password that anyone could figure out by bruteforcing. He had made it nearly impossible to activate the satellite. But he had forgotten one thing. As long as he was alive, there was always a chance.

"What do you mean? They could've killed him and still used his blood!" Jounouchi shouted, and the dark-haired boy looked up at him menacingly. How could he even say such a thing? He didn't understand what was going on at all.

"Seto knew that as long as he was alive, the satellite had a chance of activating, and that anyone could just use a sample of his blood as the password. He programmed the password so that it had to be confirmed every three hours." Mokuba said, but upon the confused looks on everyone's faces, he added, "But that isn't the only thing to his password. His heart rate, blood pressure, fingerprints, and retina scan, had to be put in as a preliminary measure. It would take at least two days for the satellite to activate with those alone. To use any of the features, they'd have to put my brother's genetic code."

"Geez. Your brother sure knew how to protect something." Jounouchi said, more of an afterthought than a real thought. Everyone seemed slightly relieved that there was still a chance to stop the satellite. But they still looked distressed. "Okay, so now what? We know what's going on, and what LEAF might try to do, but where? We still don't know anything about that."

"Not true. Kaiba would not have withheld information such as that if he knew that we would be incapable of discovering it on our own. He knows that we have the resources to do so," Ischizu said. She was beginning to understand Kaiba's methods. He was clever. Very clever. He knew that Mokuba would have known about the satellite, and would somehow be able to connect it to everything else they had found out.

"But what about his birthday? You said that had something to do with it too, right?" Otogi asked, leaning against the kitchen counter. All this talking had made him weary. There was only one thing to do – deactivate the satellite, and save Kaiba. But how? They were teenage kids, and very ordinary ones at that. Except for Mokuba, who actually knew a thing or two about LEAF and the satellite, the rest of them were pretty much clueless.

"The satellite had manual checkups every year by a special support team sent by my brother. After the satellite was found out, he assigned his birthday to be the day to send the special team out there to make sure everything was fine-tuned. LEAF is using OUR rocket to get up into space!" Mokuba said, rather distressed. Yuugi folded his hands together in his front. There wasn't any way to get back into space, no, not at all. If LEAF had taken the rocket, what was left? How would they be able to stop the shuttle in time, and more importantly, how would they be able to retrieve Kaiba? After LEAF had used him for their purposes, they would..they would.._discard_ him. A lump formed itself in Yuugi's throat.

"Your brother isn't the _only_ one with a space rocket." Otogi said, and everyone looked at him rather oddly. He threw up his hands. "Geez, it's not like it's _that_ expensive. I put one up there for future plans." Jounouchi raised an eyebrow. "Okay, you know what? It's best not to ask questions. Let's find out where Kaiba is, then. We know the organization that has him, so why don't we use that information to find out the rest?" Yuugi nodded, but still..things didn't look good.

"It is unnecessary. There are snipers on the roof of Kaiba mansion. They must know something about the organization, and if not, we can still pry something out of them," Ischizu reasoned, and it was clear that she was right. They needed someone _inside_ the organization in order to get information about it. Jounouchi chuckled slightly.

"I don't think it'll be a problem. Mokuba? You told me you used holograms to escape, right?" Jounouchi asked, with a sly smile on his face. Mokuba's grin grew wide. "I think we'll be needing your genius again."


End file.
